1937 Bugatti fetches £6.8m at auction

Example of the "most collectible of all pre-war automobiles" becomes the second most valuable Bugatti ever sold

An example of the world's most coveted vintage cars has sold at auction for a staggering $9.7 million (approximately£6,.78 million).

The Bugatti Type 57SC Sports Tourer, described as "the greatest and most collectible of all pre-war automobiles" by the auctioneer, Bonhams, therefore becomes the second most valuable Bugatti ever to have sold at auction.

The Bugatti Type 57SC will be auctioned next month Credit:
Bonhams

However, although the Bugatti sold for a staggering sum, it actually fell way below the estimate of $13 million (approx £9 million) that Bonhams had placed on it, continuing a recent trend for top-end classics like this to achieve less than their auction estimates.

The Type 57 is prized for its combination of voluptuous styling, high luxury, and race-bred underpinnings. It featured a high-tech "surbaissé" low-slung chassis to lower the centre of gravity, a Grand Prix-bred 3.3-litre engine capable of 200bhp, and a dry sump system to help maintain lubrication during cornering.

Sir Malcolm Campbell once said of the model: "If I was asked to give my opinion as to the best all-round super-sports car which is available on the market today, I should, without any hesitation whatever, say it was the 3.3 Bugatti. It cannot fail to attract the connoisseur or those who know how to handle the thoroughbred. It is a car in a class by itself."

This particular example, chassis number 57541, ordered new in 1937 by George Rand, Bugatti's New York agent, and features a four-seat Sports Tourer body by Vanden Plas. It passed through a succession of protective owners, and is well known in Bugatti circles. Today, Bonhams describes the vehicle as being in "impressive mechanical, structural and cosmetic condition".

The most valuable Bugatti ever to have sold at auction was a Royale Type 41 Kellner coupé, which sold for $9.8 million (approx £6.83 million; £17 million adjusted for inflation).

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